This poem is a bit out of the ordinary for Thankful Thursday, but I wrote it because I am thankful for my sister who inspired it. She wrote a paper for a college class she is taking, and she asked me to proofread it for her. It was a great paper about the connectedness of our world and how we cannot simply ignore the troubles of others because they live in a different neighborhood or a different country. She started with part of Genesis 4:9, after Cain has killed Abel and God asks where Abel is. Cain replies, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” My sister didn’t have a conclusion to her paper yet when I proofread it, and I suggested she use Matthew 25:40 as a great bookend closing to the paper. She took my suggestion.
As I thought about my Thankful Thursday poem, I was going to write a poem about sisters. In fact I wrote one, but it’s really not very good. Then I realized that my sister would be more honored by a poem that highlighted something she cares deeply about than by a fluff poem about sisters being awesome. You can also check out her new blog titled Life as I know it . . . . She’s just getting started and I’m sure she would be thankful for the encouragement.
10/4/11 Update: I posted a link to this poem at dVerse Poets Pub for Open Link Night~Week 12. Check out the other cool poetry there.
So here’s my Thankful Thursday poem:
Am I My Brothers’ Keeper?
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Asked Cain, when questioned by God
It was a rhetorical question
Cain knew the answer
Or what he thought was the answer
It was “no” as far as he was concerned
Abel was dead
No need for keeping any more
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
We ask, as we walk by the homeless man
Standing in a doorway with his dog
Drinking our $4 latte
It’s a rhetorical question
We think we know the answer
It’s “no” as far as we’re concerned
It’s probably his fault he’s homeless
Why does he have a dog anyway?
Why doesn’t he get a job or
At least go to a shelter for help
Instead of begging
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
We ask, as we switch the channel
So we don’t have to see the ad
About children in Africa
Dying of diseases that are unheard of
In our cozy little town
It’s a rhetorical question
We think we know the answer
It’s “no” as far as we’re concerned
Organizations like World Vision or Unicef
Will take care of the dying children
It’s not our concern
We have Reality TV we need to watch
So we flip the channel again
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
We ask, as the collection plate passes by
As we sit in our pew at the back
Of the neighborhood church
It’s a rhetorical question
We think we know the answer
It’s “no” as far as we’re concerned
We drop in a $5 bill, that’ll do
The rich folks in the congregation
Can take up the slack
We need a new computer, and
A new car, maybe a new watch,
And the mortgage payment
On our 5 bedroom house is coming up due
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
We ask, as we skim our Facebook
On our brand new computer and see
A wall post about sex trafficking of young girls
It’s a rhetorical question
We think we know the answer
It’s “no” as far as we’re concerned
We don’t engage is such activities
And there’s nothing we can do to stop it
It happens half way around the world
We’re much too busy with our own lives
Oh look, a new Facebook game to play
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
It’s not a rhetorical question
It’s a real question
An important question
It’s a question Jesus has answered
The answer is “YES”
The King said, ‘I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one
of the least of these brothers of mine
you did for me.’
I am my brothers’ keeper
And my sisters’ keeper
We are all responsible for each other
We all need to love our neighbors
And keep our brothers from harm
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV).